Door drive for an automatic door

Abstract

The invention relates to a door drive for an automatic door having a door panel, a brushless electric motor for generating the drive power and a belt or chain running in the opening and closing direction of the door for transmitting the drive power to the door panel. The door position is affected by a door position controller. An actuation device for controlling and/or regulating the electric motor includes an angle sensor for generating an angular signal proportional to the angle of rotation of the motor and a commutation circuit, for electronically commutating the motor, where the angular signal from the angle sensor is fed. The angular signal is also used as an input variable to the door position controller. The angle sensor is, in particular, an absolute value angle sensor working on a magnetic principle and designed for the unambiguous sensing of one complete revolution of the electric motor.

Description

An exemplary embodiment of a door drive in accordance with the invention is explained below in more detail by reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. In the context of this exemplary embodiment, there is also a description relative to door drives of the actuation device and drive device in accordance with the invention, which are to be regarded independently of the special application situation as stand-alone innovative parts. The figures show:

FIG. 1 a door for which a door drive in accordance with the invention can be used,

FIG. 2 a front view of an inner region, a so-called door springer, in the upper part of the door in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 a plan view of the internals of the door springer in FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 details of the electrical actuator for the motor used as the door drive in FIG. 1, and

FIG. 5 further details of the use of an angle sensor for the actuation device and the drive device in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 1 shows an automatic door 1 on a lift, with two equal-sized door panels 2, 3 which move in opposite directions. The door 1 is enclosed in a door frame 4, which in its upper region is closed off and supported by a door springer or door lintel 5. When the door panels 2, 3 are open, it is possible to access a lift cage 6 of the lift which is found behind them. The direction of opening and closing of the door panels 2, 3 is indicated by 7. The mass of the doors is up to 400 kg.

FIG. 2 shows a frontal view of the region of the door springer 5, as it would look if the springer cover were taken off, unlike FIG. 1. Within the door springer or door lintel 5, an electronically commutated and brushless, permanently-excited synchronous motor 10 is arranged in such a way that its motor shaft 11 is aligned at right angles to the direction of opening and closing 7, and horizontally, in FIG. 2 at right angles to the plane of the drawing. The motor 10 can have 2-phase or 3-phase actuation. The complete arrangement of electrical commutation and motor 10 can also be referred to as a brushless DC motor.

Fixed to the free end of the shaft 11 is a drive pinion, drive wheel or belt drivewheel 12, or suchlike. Together with an idler pulley 14 mounted at the opposite end of the door springer 5, the belt drivewheel 12 controls a tough toothed belt 16, which transmits the drive force of the motor 10 to the door panels 2, 3.

FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the arrangement in FIG. 2. It is apparent that the motor 10 has a gearless interaction with the toothed belt 16, which is partially made of rubber. The belt drivewheel 12 sits directly on the shaft 11 of the motor 10. The diameter D of the motor 10 is 160 mm.

A digital magnetic absolute value sensor 20 is mounted coaxially with the motor shaft 11, i.e. as shown, on the axis of rotation A of the motor 10. This is explained in more detail in FIG. 4. The depth dimension L of the complete arrangement, consisting of the motor 10, drivewheel 12 and angle sensor 20, is less than or equal to 110 mm. Because of this flat form of construction, the complete arrangement can be accommodated in a door springer 5 or lintel with very compact dimensions.

FIG. 4 shows in detail the complete arrangement consisting of the motor 10, drivewheel 12 and angle sensor 20, and its interaction with a controller 24 assigned to the door drive. Not only is the motor 10 construction especially flat, but so too is that of the angle sensor 20:

Depth dimension L₂ of the angle sensor 20: approx. 30 mm. Depth dimension L₁ of the motor 10 including the drivewheel 12: approx. 80 mm.

Overall depth dimension or overall length L: less than 110 mm.

The angle sensor 20 is located on the side of the motor 10 which is screened off from the drivewheel 12, and is mounted centrally with respect to the axis A of the motor 10. The angle of rotation φ is indicated in the figure. The controller 24 supplies the motor 10 via a line 28 with controlled and regulated power obtained from a power source 26, for example the public electricity supply. The angle sensor 20 reports to the controller 24 a numeric angular value—analogue or encoded—via a line 22. The resolution of the combination of angle sensor 20 and controller 24 is 12 bits, so that for 360° this gives an angular resolution of 360°/4096=0.09°.

FIG. 5 shows in detail in the form of a block diagram how the angular signal 22 from the angle sensor 20 is used simultaneously for different purposes:

a) The controller 24 for the door drive has a commutation circuit 32 for electronic sinusoidal commutation and/or sinusoidal modulation of the motor 10, which takes the form of a synchronous or asynchronous motor. The angular signal 22 is fed to the commutation circuit 32. For this purpose, the high resolution of the angle sensor 20 is required in full measure. This arrangement is especially advantageous with an electronically commutated (EC) and brushless, permanently-excited synchronous motor 10, preferably with no gearbox, because it gives a substantial price advantage for the same functionality by comparison with the rotary resolvers used for commutation. In the case of an EC motor, the commutation circuit 32 can be referred to as a BL controller.

Together with the angle sensor 20, the commutation circuit 32 forms an actuation device 30 in accordance with the invention. Together with the motor 10, the actuation device 30 forms a drive device 33 in accordance with the invention.

b) The controller 24 for the door drive has in addition, as a functional unit, a door position controller 34, to which the angular signal 22 is also fed. The door position controller 34 regulates the door state and/or the door position. From the numeric angular value and the diameter of the drive pinion 12 which is being used, the position of the door panels 2 and 3 is known so that the controller 24 or the door position controller 34, as applicable, can execute operational movements to the open or closed positions or operational movements to determine these extreme positions. This generally requires a lower resolution of the angle sensor 20, and not its full resolution. The door position controller 34 can—for example if a timer is present—also affect, check, control and/or regulate the door speed in addition to the door position.

Together with the door position controller 34, the drive device 33 forms a door drive 36 in accordance with the invention.

Claims

1.-23. (canceled)

24. A door drive for an automatic door having a door panel, comprising: a brushless electric motor that generates drive power;a belt or chain running in an opening and closing direction of the door that transmits the drive power to the door panel;a door position controller; andan actuation device that controls the electric motor, wherein the actuation device has: an angle sensor for generating an angular signal proportional to the angle of rotation of the motor,a commutation circuit for commutating the electric motor electronically, to which the angular signal from the angle sensor is fed, wherein the angular signal from the angle sensor is fed to the door position controller as an input variable.

25. The door drive as claimed in claim 24, wherein the angle sensor operates magnetically, is an absolute value sensor and senses unambiguously one complete revolution of the electric motor.

26. The door drive as claimed in claim 25, wherein the motor is a permanently-excited synchronous motor.

27. The door drive as claimed in claim 26, wherein the length of the electric motor without any bearings, drive pinion and/or electronic components is less than 36 mm.

28. The drive device as claimed in claim 27, wherein the length of the electric motor, measured at a distance of at least 35 mm from the shaft and without any bearings, drive pinion and/or electronic components, is less than 36 mm.

29. The door drive as claimed in claim 28, wherein the diameter and/or the edge length of the electric motor is between 80 mm and 160 mm.

30. The door drive as claimed in claim 29, wherein the electric motor is sized and configured to provide a drive torque between 3.5 to 4.0 Nm.

31. The door drive as claimed in claim 30, wherein the angle sensor is based on a GMR effect.

32. The door drive as claimed in claim 31, the angle sensor utilizes a plurality of Hall sensors and is a single-turn sensor.

33. The door drive as claimed in claim 32, wherein the angle sensor has a resolution of at least 12 bits/360°.

34. The door drive as claimed in claim 33, wherein the angle sensor has a length in the axial direction of not more than 20 mm.

35. The door drive as claimed in claim 34, wherein the angle sensor is arranged coaxially with the motor shaft.

36. The door drive as claimed in claim 35, wherein a drive pinion or belt drivewheel that drives the belt or chain is attached to an unsupported end the shaft of the electric motor.

37. The door drive as claimed in claim 36, wherein the belt or chain is driven by the electric motor without gearing and/or transmission.

38. The door drive as claimed in claim 37, wherein the electric motor is arranged completely within a door springer or door lintel at the top end of the door above a lift cage of the elevator.

39. The door drive as claimed in claim 38, wherein the electric motor is mounted such that the shaft is aligned at right angles to the direction of opening and closing of the door and/or horizontally.

40. The door drive as claimed in claim 39, wherein the electric motor together with the drive pinion or belt drivewheel has a length of less than 80 mm in the direction of the shaft.

41. The door drive as claimed of claim 40, further comprising a controller with an installed control program for driving the door to its open and/or closed position.

42. The door drive as claimed in claim 41, wherein the controller is designed such that the electric motor normally operates at a speed of less than 500 r.p.m.

43. The door drive as claimed in claim 42, wherein the overall length of the electric motor, drive pinion or belt drivewheel, and angle sensor is less than 98 mm in the direction of the shaft.